Realmuto’s homer off Brandon Pfaadt was his second in three games and third of the year. That he still rates as a top-10 fantasy catcher at this point mostly comes down to him stealing bases; he’s 4-for-4 this season after going just 2-for-4 last year. He totaled 50 steals in the three-year span from 2021-23.

Realmuto had not homered since April 15, but the 34-year-old backstop took Eduardo Salazar deep to extend the Phillies lead to 7-2. He also singled to improve his slash to a still-shaky .237/.308/.361 over the first 30 games of the 2025 campaign. If not for the positional value, Realmuto would be unplayable. Because he’s a catcher, you can probably do worse. Weird how that works.

Realmuto delivered a solo shot off Justin Verlander in the first inning. It was 387 feet, but since it was just a little left of dead center, it was a homer in only seven ballparks, according to Statcast. Realmuto has been hitting into bad luck this season, so he’ll take it. He’s obviously not what he used to be offensively, but he’s still a top-10 fantasy catcher. He’s greatly enhanced his fantasy value early this year by going 4-for-4 stealing bases.

It’s nothing more than a routine day off for the hard-hitting backstop, especially after catching late into the night during an extra-inning game on Thursday night that included a lengthy rain delay. Rafael Marchan will start behind the dish for the Phillies and will bat ninth against Cardinals’ right-hander Andre Pallante.